Dear Diane and Humans of SQ,
Last we spoke in January, I had mentioned three kinds of prisoners: those that commit crimes of stupidity, those that commit crimes of passion, and finally those that commit crimes of criminality. You said, “write about it.”
You should know everything I have written so far, quarantine, recipes, were all parts of a letter I have sent to my Dad since Covid changed everything. Before Covid I hardly wrote at all – visits and regular phone calls. So my letters before Covid were less than… well, less. Hi how are ya, how ya doin, all is well see ya on visiting day. I did not write much or, for that matter, like to write. In 2018 I enrolled in Mount Tamalpais College, English 99A, 99B, 101A. So everything they taught me was fresh, and then Covid came along, and if I wanted to talk to my family I had to write.
The only reason I continue to write is because my Dad said he noticed a big difference in my letters. And then there were the comments from the Humans of San Quentin posts on Instagram, Twitter, etc. It was these two things that not only encouraged, but more importantly, acknowledged me as a human being, not just an inmate.
Thank you guys for all you’re doing. Prison can be the death of our connection to humanity. Every year that goes by, our memories of life before fade away, and our only connection to “a life” is a plain white envelope. Thank you for keeping the connection.
Sincerely,
Darren